Method of manufacturing a composite component

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11458654-B2
Application number	US-201615741158-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 4, 2016
Priority date	Jul 3, 2015
Publication date	Oct 4, 2022
Grant date	Oct 4, 2022

Abstract

There is disclosed a method of manufacturing a composite component, the method comprising laying-up a plurality of successive plies of composite material to produce a pre-form ( 12 ) for the component in a lay-up procedure, wherein a portion of each ply of composite material is heated to at least a threshold temperature of 45° C. during a period of the lay-up procedure.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method of manufacturing a composite component, the method comprising laying-up a plurality of successive plies of composite material on a tool to produce a pre-form for the composite component in a lay-up procedure, wherein a portion of each ply of composite material is heated to at least a threshold temperature of 45° C. during a period of the lay-up procedure during lay-up of the plies;
wherein a heating apparatus is controlled to heat the pre-form during the lay-up procedure by heat transfer from the tool to the pre-form and by heat transfer from a side of the pre-form opposite the tool;
wherein the heating apparatus has a first heater configured to heat the pre-form during the lay-up procedure by heat transfer from the tool to the pre-form, and a second heater configured to heat the pre-form during the lay-up procedure by heat transfer from the side of the pre-form opposite the tool;
wherein the heating apparatus is operated during the lay-up procedure during lay-up of the plies to heat the pre-form in a first heating phase in which a thickness of the pre-form is less than a threshold thickness or a number of plies is less than a threshold number of plies, and is subsequently operated during lay-up of plies in a second heating phase in which the pre-form has a thickness greater than or equal to the threshold thickness or a number of plies greater than or equal to the threshold number of plies;
wherein in the first heating phase only the first heater is active; and
wherein in the second heating phase at least the second heater is active.

2. A method according to claim 1 , wherein a portion of each ply of composite material is heated using the heating apparatus, and wherein the heating apparatus is operated so that the temperature of each ply is at least the threshold temperature for at least a pre-determined de-bulk period during the lay-up procedure.

3. A method according to claim 2 , wherein the heating apparatus is operated so that the temperature of each ply is no more than 60° C. for the duration of the lay-up procedure.

4. A method according to claim 1 , further comprising monitoring the temperature of the pre-form during the lay-up procedure.

5. A method according to claim 4 , wherein the temperature of the pre-form is monitored using a pyrometer.

6. A method according to claim 4 , wherein the heating apparatus is controlled at least partly based on monitoring the temperature of the pre-form during the lay-up procedure.

7. A method according to claim 1 , wherein the heating apparatus comprises a heater element coupled to the tool and configured to heat the tool.

8. A method according to claim 1 , wherein the heating apparatus comprises a non-contact heater.

9. A method according to claim 8 , wherein the plies of composite material are layed-up using an applicator head, and wherein the applicator head moves relative to the non-contact heater during the lay-up procedure.

10. A method according to claim 9 , wherein the non-contact heater is controlled to move during the lay-up procedure based on the proximity of the applicator head to the non-contact heater.

11. A method according to claim 10 , wherein the non-contact heater is coupled to a proximity sensor configured to determine when the applicator head is within a threshold proximity of the non-contact heater, and wherein the non-contact heater is controlled to move based on an output of the proximity sensor.

12. A method according to claim 9 , further comprising controlling the movement of the non-contact heater based on a predetermined path of the applicator head.

13. A method according to claim 1 , wherein in both the first heating phase and the second heating phase, heat is applied while plies are being applied to the tool.

14. A method according to claim 1 , wherein a controller is configured to change between the first heating phase and the second heating phase while plies are being applied to the tool.

15. A method of manufacturing a composite component, the method comprising laying-up a plurality of successive plies of composite material on a tool to produce a pre-form for the composite component in a lay-up procedure, wherein a portion of each ply of composite material is heated to at least a threshold temperature of 45° C. during a period of the lay-up procedure during lay-up of the plies;
wherein a heating apparatus is controlled to heat the pre-form during the lay-up procedure by heat transfer from the tool to the pre-form and by heat transfer from a side of the pre-form opposite the tool;
wherein the heating apparatus has a first heater configured to heat the pre-form during the lay-up procedure by heat transfer from the tool to the pre-form, and a second heater configured to heat the pre-form during the lay-up procedure by heat transfer from the side of the pre-form opposite the tool;
wherein the heating apparatus is operated during the lay-up procedure during lay-up of the plies to heat the pre-form in a first heating phase in which a thickness of the pre-form is less than a threshold thickness or a number of plies is less than a threshold number of plies, and is subsequently operated during lay-up of plies in a second heating phase in which the pre-form has a thickness greater than or equal to the threshold thickness or a number of plies greater than or equal to the threshold number of plies;
wherein in the first heating phase only the second heater is active;
wherein in the second heating phase both the first heater and the second heater are active.

16. Composite material lay-up equipment comprising:
a tool for receiving a plurality of successive plies of composite material in a lay-up procedure to form a pre-form for a composite component;
a heating apparatus for heating the pre-form on the tool; and
a controller configured to control the heating apparatus so that a portion of each ply of composite material is heated to at least a threshold temperature of 45° C. during a period of the lay-up procedure during lay-up of the plies;
the heater apparatus comprises a first heater configured to heat the pre-form during the lay-up procedure by heat transfer from the tool to the pre-form, and a second heater configured to heat the preform during the lay-up procedure by heat transfer from a side of the pre-form opposite the tool;
wherein the first heater and the second heater are coupled to the controller, and the controller is configured to:
monitor the lay-up procedure to determine once the pre-form has reached a threshold thickness or threshold number of plies;
activate only the first heater during lay-up of plies in a first heating phase in which a thickness of the pre-form is less than the threshold thickness, or a number of plies is less than the threshold number of plies;
subsequently activate at least the second heater during lay-up of plies in a second heating phase in which the pre-form has a thickness greater than or equal to the threshold thickness, or a number of plies is greater than or equal to the threshold number of plies;
whereby the heating apparatus is controlled to heat the pre-form during the lay-up procedure by heat transfer from the tool to the pre-form and by heat transfer from the side of the pre-form opposite the tool.

17. Composite material lay-up equipment according to claim 16 , further comprising a temperature sensor configured to generate a signal relating to the temperature of the pre-form during the lay-up procedure;
wherein the controller is configured to control the heating apparatus based on the output of the temperature sensor.

Assignees

• Rolls Royce Plc

Inventors

• Barnes Ashley
• Lee James A
• Hocking Matthew
• Goodman Edward
• Calvert Peter

Classifications

• B29C70/38

  Automated lay-up, e.g. using robots, laying filaments according to predetermined patterns {(application heads for tyres B29D30/28)} · CPC title

• B29C35/0288 Primary

  Controlling heating or curing of polymers during moulding, e.g. by measuring temperatures or properties of the polymer and regulating the process (controlling or regulating chemical, physical or physico- chemical processes in general B01J19/0006) · CPC title

• B29C70/386

  Automated tape laying [ATL] · CPC title

• B29C2791/001

  Shaping in several steps · CPC title

• B29C35/0227

  using pressure vessels, e.g. autoclaves, vulcanising pans (B29C35/065 takes precedence) · CPC title